Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE Basotho Action Party (BAP) leader Professor Nqosa Mahao has defended the party’s decision to ban the use of social media to discuss the party’s internal affairs. Professor Mahao told thepost he is “not ashamed of stopping the social media use in the party”.
This is after factionalism broke out in the party after some BAP MP’s supported the infamous M5 000 monthly fuel allowances while the party and its leadership were opposing it.
This led to some members taking to the party’s WhatsApp groups to condemn Professor Mahao for calling for the reversal of the government decision to pay MPs the fuel allowances.
“Our national executive committee decided to write a savingram to ban the WhatsApp groups because of the insults and fights that were happening in them,” Professor Mahao said.
“The BAP is a party that believes in the rights of people, including the right to freedom of speech,” he said, adding that however “no one has a right to insult another”.
“Our party cares for the rights of its members but people should not step on others’ rights,” he said. He said they stopped the groups to maintain law and order in the party.
“Some claim the groups were formed while they were in the ABC, which is unethical to steal the groups,” he said.
“The groups were operating well until now when people started to insult others and fight others.
We told the administrators to control and monitor their groups closely, but that never happened. ” He said the groups remain banned until the party comes up with rules on how they should operate.
“We will then revise the way we debate or talk in those groups.
” He said some of the exchanges in the groups were so toxic that some members almost physically fought.
The party spokesman, Lepolesa Makutoane, released a clip saying he is no longer part of the groups as he was insulted during the election campaign last year.
“People in there insult others for no reason, it is right that the groups should all be closed,” Makutoane said.
On the other hand, one of the party members who are not happy with the savingram told thepost that the leader “is afraid of members who talk freely about politics and the leadership”.
He said problems in the groups started two weeks ago when parliament was discussing the salaries and allowances of the MPs. “Some BAP MPs were opposing the party’s position to cancel the allowances,” the member said.
“Our leader is scared that our freedom of expression might split the party, but we support our MPs,” he said.
“We will form other groups if they close the existing ones.”
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